


Colder Than This Home

by joidianne4eva



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, M/M, Surrealism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-16
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-04-26 16:09:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5011147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joidianne4eva/pseuds/joidianne4eva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian kicked his feet as he peered down at Mickey from his perch on the fence. </p><p>“I’ve been thinking about what you asked me the other day,” he called in greeting and Mickey cocked a brow. “You know, about believing in ghosts,” Ian prompted and Mickey nodded. </p><p>“What’s your answer then?” he prompted. </p><p>Ian hopped down off the fence, stepping forward until Mickey was forced to crane his neck to look him in the eye. </p><p>“Does it matter if I believe in them or not? It doesn’t make them any less real.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Colder Than This Home

**Author's Note:**

> For the Monster Fest on ushobwri. The prompt - Ghosts.

Mickey took a long drag of his cigarette, holding the smoke until it made his lungs burn before exhaling slowly, watching as the plumes of grey drifted off into the night.

“It’s fucking creepy living here,” Mandy groused and Mickey shot her a look because they’d been living in the house for months and she’d turned her complaining into a daily event despite the fact that she never actually left the house.

If anything that was the creepy part.

Honestly Mickey didn’t care one way or the other, he was just glad they actually had a fucking roof over their head especially after theirs had burned down.

Mickey was only sorry that the fire fighters had dragged Terry out of the flames especially considering that it was his dumbass that had set the place on fire…even if it hadn’t been intentional.

“It’s like living in a morgue,” Mandy huffed, “They didn’t even find them right away, you know? It took weeks and they probably wouldn’t have found them at all if they hadn’t started to stink.”

Mickey shrugged at that, “You know Terry used to bury bodies in the backyard, right? Ain’t all that different,” he responded, passing the cigarette to Mandy but the scowl remained on her face even as she took a drag.

“That’s different,” she muttered, “It’s like I can feel them in there sometimes, you know?”

Mickey did know but he wasn’t going to say a fucking word about it.

Mandy paused and eyed him, “Guess you wouldn’t know it’s not like you come off of Ian’s dick long enough to actual do anything but sleep here.”

Mickey glowered at her, trying to fight down the rush of heat to his cheeks at the mention of Ian. “Don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, bitch,” he shot back but Mandy just smirked at him and Mickey regretted the day he’d let her meet Ian.

Mandy turned away, shooting the house a look and Mickey could see the way that her muscles tensed before she spun back around and he wanted to ask but he also didn’t want to know.

“I wish I knew who they were,” Mandy whispered after a long moment. “Just to give it some closure,” she explained and Mickey nodded.

“Wish I knew how they died,” he offered up, staring straight ahead and he could almost pretend he didn’t see the way the curtains flickered, like someone was tugging at them…almost.

*O*

Mickey counted the cash again, spreading it across the table as he allocated the shares.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched Terry stagger into the room and pause but Mickey kept his attention on their stash.

“Where the fuck is Mandy? I told her to get me a drink ten minutes ago!” Terry snarled and Mickey glanced up, only to find the man glaring at him like Mickey could magically conjure Mandy out of thin air. The urge to roll his eyes was there but he didn’t have the energy to deal with Terry’s shit if he did.

“She ain’t here,” Mickey responded before shuffling the cash to one side so that he could start dividing up the stash so everyone had enough to sell.

“I said where the fuck is Mandy?” Terry slurred and Mickey paused to watch him stumble up the stairs, swaying as he went.

He was back a moment later, scratching at his stomach as he glanced around the room. “Could’ve sworn she was just here,” he muttered to himself and this time Mickey didn’t respond.

His phone vibrated as Terry flung himself onto the couch and Mickey swiped it, biting back the tiny smile that tried to curl his lips at the sight of Ian’s name.

*O*

“You believe in ghosts?” Mickey asked and Ian paused in his sixteenth pull-up, shooting Mickey a questioning look before he dropped down off the bar.

“Should I?” Ian asked, cocking his head to the side and Mickey shrugged. It was so fucking easy talking to Ian, despite the fact that Mickey had just met him a few weeks after they’d moved into their new house. Sometimes it felt like he’d known Ian forever though.

“Mandy thinks our house is haunted or some shit. She’s been hearing rumours about what happened to the family that lived there, it’s got her spooked,” Mickey explained.

Ian cocked his head, brow furrowing for a moment before he snapped his fingers. “Yeah, shit, I forgot that you guys lived in Frank’s old house,” he grinned and Mickey scowled to keep himself from copying the expression. “Used to hear that he killed his kids because they wouldn’t let him come back home or some shit like that…honestly, I think he did it because they stopped taking his crap.”

“You knew them?” Mickey inquired but Ian just shrugged as he stepped closer.

“About as well as you know anyone around here…but I didn’t ask you to meet me to trade ghost stories,” Ian murmured as he stepped closer and Mickey glanced up at him as Ian’s hands dropped to his hips pulling their bodies closer.

“Yeah, tough guy?” he muttered and he barely had the time to register Ian’s grin before the man was ducking down to cover Mickey’s lips with his own and then Mickey wasn’t thinking off anything at all, other than Ian.

*O*

“Which one of you fuckers was in my room?” Terry shouted and Mickey glanced at Iggy but his brother just shook his head as Terry stormed into the room. “Don’t even think about lying to me either.”

Mickey exhaled slowly through his nose because it wasn’t worth it to start something with Terry this early.

“We just came back off a run,” Iggy offered up and out of the corner of his eye Mickey saw Terry hesitate.

“I know it was one of you, who the fuck was it?” he demanded and Mickey shrugged because Terry talking like they weren’t there wasn’t anything new.

“Mandy’s at her friends, Tony and Joey are still on their runs,” he responded, watching as Terry’s complexion paled for a minute before the man rubbed his forehead.

“I could’ve sworn there was someone in here with me,” he murmured and Mickey bit his lip as a shadow flickered past the window…nothing but a play of light, that’s all it was.

*O*

“I don’t like your dad,” Ian offered up and Mickey frowned over at him but the redhead was staring out over the baseball field.

“Didn’t know you knew him,” he responded and Ian hitched a shoulder.

“He’s been around lately,” he replied, taking another drink before handing the beer back to Mickey. “He’s too fucking loud.”

Mickey’s eyes narrowed at that because while there was no love lost between him and Terry, it didn’t mean he was just going to sit here and let Ian badmouth him either.

“You don’t see me talking shit about your family,” Mickey pointed out and this time Ian shrugged with his whole body.

“You don’t know my family and I wasn’t talking shit. I’m just telling you how it is. I don’t like him,” Ian repeated as he rose to his feet and Mickey found himself copying Ian before he even really thought about it. “Plus my dad was a shithead too.”

“Was?” Mickey asked but Ian just shot him a tiny grin as he climbed down off the stands.

*O*

“The fuck are you doing out here?” Mickey demanded but the look on Joey’s face had him frowning.

His brother was huddled on the lower steps of their porch and this close Mickey could see the shivers the older man was trying to disguise.

“I’m not going in there,” Joey hissed and Mickey’s gaze flickered to the open door.

“Terry on your ass?” he inquired but Joey just shook his head.

Mickey sighed because when Joey was in one of his moods there wasn’t a damn thing that he could do to get him to open up.

Stepping past him Mickey paused as something flickered within the darkness.

“Hey,” he called back and when Joey glanced at him, Mickey let his lips curl into a smirk.

“You ain’t scared of ghosts, are you?”

Joey didn’t answer but neither of them missed the giggle that echoed from the stillness of the house.

Neither of them acknowledged it either.

*O*

Ian kicked his feet as he peered down at Mickey from his perch on the fence.

“I’ve been thinking about what you asked me the other day,” he called in greeting and Mickey cocked a brow. “You know, about believing in ghosts,” Ian prompted and Mickey nodded.

“What’s your answer then?” he prompted.

Ian hopped down off the fence, stepping forward until Mickey was forced to crane his neck to look him in the eye.

“Does it matter if I believe in them or not? It doesn’t make them any less real.”

Mickey hummed beneath his breath as Ian slipped into his personal space, curling his arms around his waist.

“I guess it doesn’t,” he agreed.

“Cool, I’ve got something I want you to see then,” Ian offered up and Mickey nodded…he was pretty sure that he knew what Ian wanted to show him but he followed nonetheless.

*O*

Mandy turned up seven days later and Mickey knew that she knew the second that he met her eyes.

“Why didn’t you fucking tell me?!” she snarled but Mickey didn’t respond, instead he tipped his chair back and watched as Terry stormed into the room.

“Who the fuck’s been in my room?” the man demanded.

Mandy’s eyes darted between Mickey and Terry but when Mickey didn’t respond Terry frowned before turning in a circle and leaving the room.

Mandy stared at the spot where Terry had just been, her hands shaking and Mickey knew that if he touched she’d be cold.

“It…it’s not real, I mean Ian…he can see us, he can see you!” Mandy snapped. Mickey just shrugged and Mandy made a soft sound, something broken and on the edge of sanity. “How?” she whispered.

“Dunno, he tried to explain it while you were gone, something about us living in the same house, didn’t take in much after I saw the graves. Apparently it was a drive by, got everyone but Terry.”

“The graves always scare people,” Ian responded and Mandy flinched but the redhead just skated around her and now that Mickey was looking he could see them.

The little boy and girl, sitting in the corner, watching a TV that didn’t exist anymore. The woman arguing with the familiar teen in a kitchen that was riddled with mold. The baby playing by himself on the floor.

“We…” Mandy started but Ian just smiled at her as he curled himself around Mickey.

“Hey, Mandy, do you believe in ghosts?”


End file.
